Is it necessary to shakeup liquid fabric softener before using?

[yarns2b]

It seems like it gets thicker near the end of the bottle. Id just like to know how many out there shake fabric softeners. It doesn’t say so on the label.

 

[Alan]

Welcome to the forum. I don't know the answer, but it seems as if it would not hurt.

 

[phillymatt53]

Downey's become so thick these days.... like molasses
That faucet type bottle takes forever to flow.
I then dilute it with hot water and stir it before adding it to the machine dispenser.

 

[DADoES]

Softener isn't labeled with an expiration date but it has a shelf-life through which it deteriorates, typically thickening. Some may separate into thinner and thicker component layers. Adding hot water to the measured dose as phillymatt53 suggests is helpful but of course increases the volume which, depending how much is used, may not fit into an automatic dispenser without overflowing it. Adding water to the bottle will thin it but also dilutes the product which may then call for a larger dose to get the desired effect.

I use softener only on specific loads, usually sheets/bedding, so a bottle lasts for many months. I have in a couple instances bought too large of a bottle which deteriorated so badly as to be unusable. Downey seems the worst. Snuggle is better in my experience. I recently bought a bottle of a TX-based grocery chain's softener, which is noticeably thin so better than Snuggle on the thickening point.

 

[mrboilwash]

I don`t shake anything but aerosol cans but I flip over the bottles of most liquid things like detergent, fabric softener and so on before use.
Of course products can contain chemicals to keep ingredients well suspended but I still feel better doing so just to be on the save side even if directions don`t call for agitating.

Adding water to a bottle of FS might shorten the shelf life of the product considerably because the preservatives that keep spoilage from microorganism growth at bay might be too diluted to keep on working. So if you do so keep in mind to use up the product as quickly as possible.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I remember the original fabric softeners like Staley's Sta-Puf that were very thin and did not seem to require shaking to mix the ingredients back into solution. Then came the thick softeners like NuSoft and my favorite Final Touch. I don't know if shaking them did any good. I have a 170 oz. jug of Downy that I use with hot water added to the dispenser before I add a little Downy. I do that with the Vernel Rose-scented softener, but won't be buying it again because of the tariffs that doubled the price in the first insanity. The hot water seems to help the dispensers rinse clean, but I don't have problems with the Downy stuff going clotted. I don't open the breather cap so maybe the lack of oxygen prevents it from going gunky.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

I generally shake up everything liquid whether I drink it, wash or clean with it or put it on something, or put it on something I'll eat...

 

[launderess]

If product in question has reached state it resembles badly curdled Hollandaise sauce then no amount of agitation is going to help.

Otherwise, no, it's not necessary to agitate FS nor more than any other liquid cleaning or personal care product. Either something is a stable emulsion, or it's not....

Granted yes, some products to tend to separate (think peanut butter), but otherwise anytime something that does when it shouldn't indicates has or is going off.

Back when fabric softeners were largely emulsions of tallow or other fats/oils then can see perhaps need to shake bottle. Modern products have moved onto blends of surfactants with perhaps tallow or oil, but use far better emulsifiers, stabilizers and preservatives.